Following the Belgian Air Power’s announcement in March in regards to the testing of Thales Belgium’s laser guided rockets from its F-16s, footage now exhibits the trials within the Counter-UAS position.
Weeks after the Belgian Air Power confirmed the continuing integration of the FZ275 Laser-Guided Rockets on its F-16s for the Counter-Unmanned Aerial Techniques (C-UAS) position, the service launched on Apr. 30 footage of the assessments, exhibiting the Combating Falcons utilizing the rockets to swat down goal drones.
Whereas it’s not identified when the assessments happened, Belgian Defence recognized the placement as Lomardsijde, off the southern a part of the North Sea within the nation’s northwest, and specified that the rockets used had been inert. Belgian Defence mentioned on X: “The Air Power examined at Lombardsijde a functionality towards medium-sized drones. In collaboration with the Land Element, the Navy, and Thales Belgium: FZ275 70 mm rockets with out warhead on F-16, an efficient and reasonably priced answer towards the UAS risk.”
La Power aérienne a testé à Lombardsijde une capacité contre des drones de taille moyens. En collaboration avec la Power terrestre, la Marine et Thales Belgium : des roquettes FZ275 70 mm sans cost sur #F16, answer efficace et abordable contre la menace UAS pic.twitter.com/IQcKSHANmU
— Belgian Defence (@BelgiumDefence) April 30, 2026
The Belgian Air Power operates 43-44 F-16AM/BM Combating Falcons. It is usually an F-35A Lightning II buyer, with a complete order of 34 plane, and has deliberate to accumulate 11 extra. Eleven F-35s have up to now been delivered, with eight stationed at Luke AFB, Arizona, for the coaching of recent F-35 pilots.
The check
The video launched by the BAF exhibits one of many F-16s getting used within the trial, armed with at the least two seven-shot LAU-131A/A pods on the port (left-side) wing. Two completely different pictures of that wing exhibits every of the pods carrying just one Thales Belgium 2.75 inch/70 mm FZ275 LGR in several tubes, suggesting the video exhibits a number of sorties of the check marketing campaign.
Footage from the cockpit then exhibits a rocket leaving one of many pods and placing an unidentified drone, as seen within the focusing on pod’s infrared footage.
Within the testing reported by Belgium’s Directorate Common of Materials Assets (DGMR) on Mar. 11, 2026, the F-16 captured at Kleine Brogel Air Base was carrying six LAU-131A/A pods, which give the plane a 42-round capability. The Directorate on the time additionally mentioned that the FZ275 was being examined alongside BAE Techniques’ AGR-20F FALCO (Mounted Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Plane Techniques Ordnance) for the C-UAS position.
Tijdens recente conflicten hebben we gezien dat goedkope assault‑drones immense schade kunnen aanrichten. Klassieke luchtafweermiddelen inzetten tegen dit soort dreiging is vaak extreem duur.
— Materials Assets (@DGMR_News) March 11, 2026
Classes from Ukraine
Provided that the Belgian system will primarily be used within the European theater, the place the Russia-Ukraine struggle has thrown up its personal classes in uneven drone warfare, an summary of that battle is warranted.
As we have now famous in our earlier protection about bigger platforms utilizing cost-effective weapons like laser-guided rockets or on-board weapons on helicopters to have interaction smaller uneven threats, the cost-asymmetry nonetheless persists. In reality, whereas the launching platform is price tens of tens of millions, the drones are lower than $50,000, with some ultra-cheap ones fielded by Ukraine and Russia within the $5,000-$10,000 vary.
What’s believed to be the primary identified footage exhibiting an F-16 fighter jet operated by the Ukrainian Air Power intercepting a Russian Shahed/Geran-type long-range OWA-UAV with the APKWS II low-cost, laser-guided anti-aircraft rockets.
Such rockets are carried in LAU-131 rocket… pic.twitter.com/JTsCsgQ7NP
— Standing-6 (Conflict & Army Information) (@Archer83Able) February 17, 2026
Airbus’ Chicken of Prey interceptor drone, firing the Mark-1 air-to-air missile, is a extra appropriate choice for the European theater in case NATO nations undertake that system. It could equate the price of each the launching platform, the weapon and the unmanned goal.
Solely Ukraine, with measures like conventional ground-based anti-aircraft weapons, interceptor drones, and digital warfare, has considerably introduced down the price of intercepting Russian OWA UAVs. In some circumstances Ukraine has even flipped the cost-asymmetry, capturing down Russia’s prized Kamov Ka-52 Alligator assault helicopter with an FPV drone, a video that emerged on Mar. 20 confirmed.
Second a Ukrainian FPV drone catches a Russian Ka-52 assault helicopter.
The drone flies into the weapons mounted on the wing, doubtless inflicting a detonation. pic.twitter.com/AbEqQzfG92
— Woofers (@NotWoofers) March 20, 2026
Then one other video late in April confirmed a Ukrainian FPV destroying a Russian Mi-17 and a Mi-28 Havoc assault helicopter on the bottom, within the encounter that was reported to have taken place in Voronezh, 150 km from the frontline. A current measure was utilizing an identical interceptor drone, the P1-Solar mounted on an older Antonov An-28 turboprop plane to seek out Russian Gerans within the evening.
🇺🇦🇷🇺 Ukraine destroyed a Russian Mi-28 assault helicopter and an Mi-17 transport helicopter in Voronezh, 150 km from the entrance line.
You’ll be able to’t let your guard down in trendy warfare, irrespective of how far you’re from the enemy.pic.twitter.com/f9UjqQUZcm
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 29, 2026
Ukraine too used outsized measures like APKWS-armed F-16s and French Mirage 2000s to shoot down Russian drones long-range cruise missiles. Its wholly uneven measures like small interceptor drones such because the Sting, launched from each the bottom and the air, look like the primary countermeasure towards drones, and so they have been additionally chargeable for downing a number of R-60 AAM-armed Geran-type One-Method Assault (OWA) drones.
